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| {{AfDM|page=Blockstack (2nd nomination)|year=2018|month=July|day=27|substed=yes|origtag=afdx|help=off}}
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| {{Infobox software
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| | title = Blockstack
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| | logo = [[File:Blockstack logo (2016).svg|165px|Blockstack Logo]]
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| | released = 17 February 2015
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| | author = Muneeb Ali, Ryan Shea
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| | developer = Community,<br>Blockstack PBC.
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| | latest release date = 16 February 2018
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| | programming language =[[Python (programming language)|Python]]
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| | operating system = Clients available for [[Linux]], [[Windows]], [[macOS]]
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| | genre = [[Decentralized computing]], [[Blockchain]]
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| | license = [[GPLv3]], [[MIT License|MIT]]
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| }}
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| '''Blockstack''' is a [[blockchain]]-based network for decentralized applications<ref>{{citation | title=Blockstack: A New Internet for Decentralized Applications | url=http://blockstack.org/whitepaper.pdf}}</ref>. Blockstack provides protocols and software libraries for [[authentication protocol|authentication]], [[cloud storage|storage]], and [[app store|app publishing]] in a [[decentralized computing|decentralized]] manner. Blockstack aims to address the centralization at the [[Application_layer|application-layer]] of the internet and provides decentralized alternatives to internet's [[Alternative_DNS_root|domain name system]] and [[Public_key_infrastructure|public-key infrastructure]]. Developers have built [[decentralized application|decentralized apps]] like word processors and spreadsheets<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' |url=https://www.wired.com/story/the-decentralized-internet-is-here-with-some-glitches/ |title=The Decentralized Internet Is Here, With Some Glitches |first=Tom |last=Simonite |date=March 5, 2018}}</ref>, messaging apps<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]'' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/03/23/the-new-technology-that-aspires-to-deletefacebook-for-good/ |title=The new technology that aspires to #DeleteFacebook for good |first=Brian |last=Fung |date=March 23, 2018}}</ref>, business productivity<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[CoinDesk]]'' |url=https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-wallet-blockstack-decentralized/ |title=Blockstack's First Business App Wants to Help Employees Earn More Crypto |first=Leigh |last=Cuen |date=July 30, 2018}}</ref>, and social networking apps amongst others, using the software.
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| Blockstack is often described as a new internet, separate from the traditional internet, with a focus on privacy, security, and data ownership<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[The New York Observer|Observer]]'' |url=http://observer.com/2016/09/a-second-internet-coming-soon-courtesy-of-the-blockchain/ |title=A Second Internet, Coming Soon, Courtesy of the Blockchain |first=Brady |last=Dale |date=September 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' |url=https://reason.com/reasontv/2017/06/22/blockstack-bitcoin-blockchain-internet |title=Princeton-Trained Computer Scientists Are Building a New Internet That Brings Privacy and Property Rights to Cyberspace |first=Jim |last=Epstein |date=June 22, 2017}}</ref>. Season 5 of the HBO [[Silicon Valley (TV_series)|Silicon Valley show]] partially based their concept of a new decentralized internet on the MaidSafe and Blockstack technologies<ref>{{cite speech |title=Mike Judge, Co-creator of HBO's Silicon Valley in conversation with Cory Doctorow |author=Mike Judge |author-link=Mike Judge |date=April 1, 2000 |location=San Francisco |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-5HXDOveGM |access-date=July 31, 2018}}</ref>, and Blockstack founders Muneeb Ali and Ryan Shea were technical advisors to the show<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' |url=http://fortune.com/2018/06/08/blockchain-silicon-valley-new-internet-blockstack/ |title=Meet the Blockchain Startup That Inspired HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Season 5 |first=Jen |last=Wieczner |date=June 8, 2018}}</ref>.
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| ==Overview==
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| Blockstack is being developed by a group of engineers and researchers coming from both industry and academia<ref>{{citation |title= Blockstack: Design and Implementation of a Global Naming System with Blockchain |url= http://blockstack.org/blockstack_usenix16.pdf}}</ref> and is released as open-source. Blockstack's blockchain name system (BNS) is the first implementation of a decentralized [[DNS]] system on top of the [[Bitcoin]] [[Blockchain (database)|blockchain]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Blockstack aims to make DNS more secure by building on top of the Bitcoin blockchain |url=http://siliconangle.com/blog/2016/02/25/blockstack-makes-dns-more-secure-by-building-on-top-of-the-blockchain/ |author=Kyt Dotson |date=Feb 25, 2016 |newspaper=Silicon Angle}}</ref> It combines DNS functionality with [[public key infrastructure]] and is primarily meant to be used by new blockchain applications. Other systems like [[Namecoin]] have implemented decentralized DNS using blockchains earlier by using blockchains other than Bitcoin. Blockstack became operational on the Bitcoin blockchain in September 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Onename Drops Namecoin, Switches to Bitcoin |url= http://cointelegraph.com/news/onename-drops-namecoin-switches-to-bitcoin |author=Jamie Redman |date=September 14, 2015 |newspaper=Cointelegraph}}</ref>
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| In May 2017, at [[CoinDesk]]'s "Consensus 2017" blockchain conference in New York, Blockstack released a decentralized [[Browser extension|browser add-on]],<ref name="shin">{{cite news|last1=Shin|first1=Laura|title=Blockstack Unveils A Browser For The Decentralized Web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/05/23/blockstack-unveils-a-browser-for-the-decentralized-web/#6799150e71cd|accessdate=28 May 2017|work=Forbes|date=23 May 2017}}</ref> described as "a kind of [[Netscape]] for the decentralized internet, running apps on a plethora of blockchains".<ref name="coindesk">{{cite news|last1=del Castillo|first1=Michael|title=Blockstack Releases Blockchain-Powered, Tokenized Internet Browser|url=http://www.coindesk.com/blockstack-blockchain-decentralized-browser/|accessdate=28 May 2017|work=[[CoinDesk]]|date=23 May 2017}}</ref> The purpose of this add-on is to allow developers to use Blockstack's tools (decentralized identity, storage, and payments) to "create consumer-facing [[Application software|apps]]". The add-on works with any browser, including [[Google Chrome|Chrome]], [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]], and [[Firefox]].<ref name="shin"/>
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| ==History==
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| The project was started by Muneeb Ali and Ryan Shea, in 2013, who met at the [[Princeton University]] Computer Science department<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[Forbes|Forbes]]'' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2017/09/05/blockstack-on-how-to-take-control-from-google-facebook-and-amazon/ |title=Blockstack On How To Take Control From Google, Facebook And Amazon |first=Laura |last=Shin |date=September 5, 2017}}</ref>. While Blockstack is an open-source project, Muneeb and Ryan went through [[Y Combinator]] and raised [[venture capital]] for a [[C Corporation|C-corp]] dedicated to supporting the development of the open-source software<ref>{{cite book |last=Gilder |first=George |authorlink=George Gilder |date=2018 |title=Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4HwoDwAAQBAJ |access-date=August 8, 2018}}</ref>.
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| Blockstack Inc. raised $4 million [[venture capital]] Series A round from [[Union Square Ventures]], [[Lux Capital]], [[AngelList]] founder [[Naval Ravikant]], [[Digital Currency Group]], amongst others and [[Albert Wenger]] joined the board.<ref>{{cite news|last1=del Castillo|first1=Michael|title=Bitcoin-Powered Internet Advances With $4 Million Blockstack Funding|url=http://www.coindesk.com/blockstack-4-million-funding-series-a/|accessdate=28 May 2017|work=CoinDesk|date=6 January 2017}}</ref>. In September 2017, Blockstack Inc. converted itself into a [[Public-benefit corporation|Public Benefit Corporation]], switching from Blockstack Inc. to Blockstack PBC.<ref>{{citation |title=Announcing the Blockstack Public Benefit Corp| url=https://blockstack.org/blog/public-benefit-corp |author=Muneeb Ali and Ryan Shea |date=September 20, 2017}}</ref>
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| In December 2017, Blockstack PBC raised ~$50 million from the sale of a token<ref>{{cite news |publisher=''[[TheStreet.com|The Street]]'' |url=https://www.thestreet.com/story/14415481/1/winklevoss-twins-back-blockstack-ico.html |title=Bitcoin Billionaires The Winklevoss Twins Back Blockstack Initial Coin Offering |first=Tanzeel |last=Akhtar |date=December 9, 2017}}</ref>. [[Winklevoss Capital Management| Winklevoss Capital]], [[Union Square Ventures]], [[Kevin Rose]], [[Michael Arrington]], [[Foundation Capital]], and others participated in this token offering.<ref>{{citation |title=Blockstack’s $50M Token Sale| url=https://blockstack.org/blog/blockstack-token-sale-recap |author=Muneeb Ali and Ryan Shea |date=December 5, 2017}}</ref>
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| ==See also==
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| *[[Alternative DNS root]]
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| *[[Zooko's triangle]]
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| *[[Namecoin]]
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| *[[Ethereum]]
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category:Domain name system]]
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| [[Category:Computer access control protocols]]
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| [[Category:Blockchains]]
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| [[Category:Bitcoin]]
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| {{Source Wikipedia}}
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